ABSTRACT

Wild Edible Fungi (WEF) play an important role in the livelihood of local inhabitants (Boa 2004). In tropical Africa, picking wild edible mushrooms is a lucrative activity and involves hundreds of rural women (Boa 2004, Degreef et al. 1997, Buyck 1994a). Over 300 edible mushrooms are recorded in subSaharan Africa (Rammeloo and Walleyn 1993, Walleyn and Rammeloo 1994). Still, mycophagy greatly varies from one country to another, even within ethnic groups of the same area (Yorou and De Kesel 2002, Guissou et al. 2008). Annual consumptions of over 30 kg per habitant have been recorded in Central and East Africa (Degreef et al. 1997). In rural tropical Africa, WEF are important in terms of species richness and consumed quantities, but also as a potential source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals (Degreef et al. 1997, Adewusi et al. 1993, Ogundana and Fagade 1981, 1982, De Kesel and Malaisse 2010).